Since Creative Matters opened its doors 35 years ago, many of its floor coverings have been made from wool, including custom projects for hotels, offices and retail spaces, and its 14 rug collections. Carol Sebert, Managing Partner and founder of the firm, gives insight into the benefits of using wool in floor coverings.

Sebert was invited to be chairperson of the Wool Interiors Working Group for the International Wool Textile Organization (IWTO) in 2022. “Initially we carried out an international survey that determined – among other things – that the majority of end users buying floor coverings are misinformed about the advantages of wool compared to nylon,” she explains. “As a result, the Wool Interiors Working Group is now working closely with the IWTO Sustainability Group to educate people about the true realities of wool. In a short space of time I’ve learned so much about our favourite fibre.”

Creative Matters shares that it originally chose wool for its coverings because of the material’s popularity historically. Meanwhile, clients appreciated it for a myriad of reasons: beauty and depth of colour, softness underfoot and sound absorption, as well as its hypoallergenic, flame-resistant, water-repellent and stain-resistant nature.

“In my quest to understand the sustainability of wool, I have realised that ‘regenerative’ may be a better description for the remarkable characteristics of wool,” continues Sebert. “Sheep are part of the natural carbon cycle, consuming the organic carbon stored in plants and converting it to wool. It is emissions from fossilised carbon that lie at the heart of the global warming crisis. Sheep do emit some greenhouse gases. Therefore, farmers can impact the natural carbon cycle by influencing the amount of carbon stored in plants and soil, and through the way that they manage animals.”

After working with woven Axminster – made of 80% wool and 20% nylon – for many years, Creative Matters is now conducting tests on samples of 80/20% wool/nylon and 100% wool to investigate and cross-compare the durability of both combinations, paving new and sustainable ways forwards.

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